Did you know there's a forest trail at the base of Ben Bulben? The Gortarowey loop takes just 1.5 hours, and it's a little stunner.

The Ben Bulben forest walk is a loop running for around 5.5km at the base of the iconic mountain, with access just off the main N15 national route between Sligo and Donegal, 8km north of Sligo town.

This short video, produced by OMedia for Sligo Walks (sligowalks.ie), gives a tantalising little taster of the trail.

After pulling up in the car park about 400m from the main road, follow the series of finger post signs along a choice of looped walks, ranging in distance from 5km-10km and with slight differences in levels of difficulty.

All walks are suitable for those with even a moderate level of fitness and are particularly suitable for families, individuals and walking clubs and groups.

A slightly elevated ascent along the gravel path towards the mountain itself is the best route for views - with the path later dipping into a meandering looped trail under the canopy of the forest. Little wonder the landscape here inspired the poetry of WB Yeats, who is buried nearby at Drumcliffe.